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Blue orchard bee-Chalkbrood Ascosphaera torchioi Pest description BOB larvae become infected by ingesting spores from contaminated pollen and nectar provisions. Long filaments penetrate the gut epithelium and cause death of the immature bee. Spores are sp ...

Blue orchard bee-Checkered flower beetle Trichodes ornatus Pest description This beetle (7 to 15 mm) is metallic dark blue with bright orange to yellow wing patterns and is commonly seen among many cavity-nesting bees. Adult female beetles lay eggs in or ...

Blue orchard bee-Cuckoo bee Stelis montana Pest description A cleptoparasitic bee (adults 8 to 10 mm) of which the larvae steal food provisions from the host. Female adults lay eggs in uncapped BOB cells while the BOB females are away foraging. Cuckoo bee ...

Blue orchard bee-Hairy-fingered mite/pollen mite Chaetodactylus krombeini Pest description A common cleptoparasitic mite (males: 0.45 mm, females: 0.60 mm) that appear white and ovoid and reproduce rapidly. Female mites lay eggs in BOB cells. Immature mit ...

Blue orchard bee-Sapygid wasp Sapyga spp. Pest description These wasps (8-14 mm) are a common cleptoparasite (larvae steal food provisions of the host). Females lay their eggs in sealed brood cells. Emerging larvae kill the bee larvae and consume the bee& ...

Blue orchard bee-Eulophid wasp Melittobia acasta Pest description These small, dark brown wasps (adults 1to 1.5 mm) are ectoparasitoid idiobionts that develop gregariously. Female adults chew through cocoons and repeatedly insert ovipositor where she then ...

Blue orchard bee-Houdini fly Cacoxenus indagator Pest description Houdini flies generally resemble fruit flies as they have dull brown bodies with large red eyes. They are kleptoparasites that lay their eggs in sealed brood cells. The fly larvae then hatc ...

Honey bee-Small hive beetle Aethina tumida Pest description The small hive beetle (SHB) was first reported in the United States in 1998. The SHB is believed to be native to sub-Saharan Africa and now can be found in most states in the U.S. As a hive pest, ...

Honey bee-Tracheal mite Acarapis woodi Pest description Tracheal mites are microscopic parasites that live in the tracheal tubes of adult honey bees. Tracheal mite infestations are difficult to diagnose. To identify them, bees must be dissected under a mi ...

Honey bee-Varroa mite Varroa destructor Pest description and damage Varroa mites are external parasites of honey bees, feeding on the fat bodies and hemolymph of adult bees, pupae, and larvae. Mites are brown to reddish brown: females are the size of a pi ...